Christmas
by KamenRiderKoori
Summary: Akiko suddenly has to leave everyone to go back to Osaka to take care of her mother. How do the guys react? Will she come back? Warning: slight Yaoi.


_I was bored, and didn't want to read my R&J, so I asked Toa for a prompt._

* * *

_**Christmas**_

_Requested by: ToaKarou_

_Characters: Shoutarou, Philip, Ryu, Akiko_

_Pairing: ShouXPhilip, RyuXAkiko_

_Prompt: Scarf_

_Rating: T_

_Warning: slight Yaoi_

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* * *

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It was nearly christmas again in Fuuto. This was Shoutarou's twenty-something-th time celebrating it in his beloved city, but only his second with his family, Philip, Akiko, and the newest addition (who was not-so-new anymore), Ryu. Of course, they were not connected by blood or anything; they had each lost their own families. Philip's, Ryu's, Akiko's, all lost to evil.

And Shoutarou? He'd never had one. As a baby, he'd been left at the doorstep of Narumi Soukichi, who had come to Fuuto, leaving behind his daughter in Osaka. Never once in his life had he cared about the word 'family', so he never really understood Philip's whole episode with family. That was not to say he didn't care, but it was already something in him.

No one knew, of course. Not Ryu, not Akiko, not even the person closest to him then, his partner, Philip.

That need was just not present. He'd grown up with it, not knowing even the least what a family felt like, so naturally, he couldn't yearn for what he never knew about.

That was until he lost Philip for the first time. Without realizing it, he had found a family, lived with them, breathed with them, and grown to love them (in more ways than one).

Then Philip disappeared for a year. That was when he'd grown closer to Akiko, who had taken the liberty of not provoking him, and Ryu, who, anyway, had softened up thanks to the introduction of a girl other than his sister into his life.

One would think that Shoutarou would never take things for granted again. He certainly treasured Philip more than ever. But nothing could prepare him for this:

"Minna, tomorrow, I'm going back to my hometown in Osaka to live with my mother."

Shoutarou had spilled coffee, having gotten up too fast from the sofa, shouting, "Eh?"

"Aki-chan, why the sudden..."

"Yeah, what happened?" Ryu was surprised too, and he was hardly ever surprised.

Akiko gave him a poisonous glare, to the confusion of all three male in the house. "My mother fell sick, so she called me back...well I'd over-stayed my time here in the first place."

"But..." Ryu began, but Akiko didn't allow him to finish.

"I actually came here to find my father. I wanted to get to know him, since he left my mother before I was born because of personality mismatch. Or at least, from what I heard. I told my mother I'd be back in three months. It's been two years now. I should go back."

There was silence in the agency, mostly because the person who was usually the noisiest was very quiet.

"Yoshi, wakatta. Go back then. Your mum needs you now."

Ryu frowned. "Shoutarou!"

"Her mum needs her more than we do now! Unless you would like to accompany her back? I'm sure the police wouldn't be too happy with that."

"Ja, I'll be in my room, packing up."

"What do you think happened?" Ryu asked when Akiko disappeared into her room.

Shoutarou refilled his coffee as though nothing happened. "What do you mean what happened? She just needs to go back and take care of her mum."

Philip raised a hand to his chin. "No, I noticed Aki-chan has been quite moody lately. Te, shouldn't you know?"

"Eh? Me? Why should I know?" Ryu asked, confused.

"You're the one she's closest to!" Shoutarou stated, exasperated.

"She is? I mean, I am?"

"You..." Shoutarou sighed, then got up. Planting a kiss on Philip's forehead, he told his partner, "I'm going to sleep. Christmas shopping tomorrow."

"But Aki-chan's going off tomorrow, aren't you going to send her off?" Philip protested.

"Ah, that. Ryu, can you send her to the station? I have a whole city to shop for."

"Huh, what? Oi, Shoutarou!" Ryu called after the detective, but was replied with a raised hand.

* * *

"Ja, take care," Ryu said as he dropped Akiko off at the station. Shoutarou had woken up early to say goodbye, before hopping out the door. Ryu assumed he was afraid of saying goodbye again, after what happened with Philip.

Philip had said his goodbye the night before, promising he'll send her her christmas present.

"Ja ne, Ryu-kun."

An awkward silence between them followed. Ryu was still unsure why he was not willing to go. It's as though he wanted her to stay with him for a moment longer, then another moment more, then another, and another.

"Doushita? Anything you want to say?" Akiko looked at him with those concerned eyes that were so... He liked them.

"...ma, come back soon, ne?" Ryu finally got out.

Akiko nodded slowly, and picked up her luggage again, gingerly, and walked off. "Ja... ne..."

* * *

Shoutarou came back to the agency from his shopping trip, with Philip tailing him. Both guys were empty-handed.

"Ah, Ryu, has Akiko gone?" Shoutarou asked, noticing the policeman, who was holding his coffee cup between both hands. In this christmas season, it was cold, and the hot coffee warmed his hands up.

"Oh, you're back. Where have you been?"

"Shopping...for nothing," Philip answered for his partner, then added, "mou, you two, it's not like Aki-chan's going away for good. We can go visit her, or she can come visit sometimes."

* * *

CHRISTMAS DAY

"Shoutarou, I miss Aki-chan..."

Philip was lying on the sofa with his head in Shoutarou's lap. Shoutarou stroked his hair in a comforting way. "You were the one who said she wasn't going to be gone forever..."

After a few weeks of the absence of the chief, Akiko, the atmosphere of the agency was hole-ly. Everywhere the occupants turned there was something missing; Akiko's slipper, Akiko shouting about paying the rent, Akiko making coffee, and most of all, Akiko calling Shoutarou half-boiled.

"On the other hand..." Shoutarou motioned to Ryu, who was at the coffee table, his head resting on his outstretched arm, a look of death on his face. Perhaps this was the way Shoutarou felt when he'd lost Philip for a whole year. If so, he didn't want a second tasting. From the day he sent her off, he's been coming back to the agency everyday (to the point of occupying her former room as a 'permanent resident') to see if she was back.

"Hai, minna! Merry Christmas!" Santa-chan announced to a dead room merrily. When he received no enthusiastic reply from even Philip, he continued, "I have presents! From Akiko-chan!"

Ryu's head immediately snapped up. Shoutarou stopped stroking Philip's head. Philip lifted his head off Shoutarou's lap, and scrambled to Santa-chan with the others in tow.

Santa-chan produced wrapped items from his big red bag. "Hai, this is for Shoutarou-chan... Hai, Philip-chan... And Ryu-chan! Ja, I'll be taking my leave now! Bye-bye!"

"Yoshi, let's see what the missing person got us!" Shoutarou attempted to raise the moods a little. It was, after all, christmas.

Philip opened his present first. "Aki-chan..." he laughed her name out, examining the takoyaki bookmark she gave in accompaniment to a hand-made plushie of Philip. He then picked up the card that came along with it. "'To Philip. Merry Christmas! Don't research today away as well! You must spend this one day of the year with Shoutarou, outside, in the Karaoke, ok? Christmas is about family, after all'. Haha, Aki-chan, you left Ryu out."

That drew a laugh out of Shoutarou, who opened up his present next. It was wrapped in a thick package, with bubblewrap around every layer. When he finally got to the center of it, he found an egg. Beside it was a card. "'Shoutarou, here's a half-boiled egg, speciality of Osaka. Haha, just kidding'. Oi, Akiko... 'Make sure to take Philip out tonight, ok? Even if he suddenly found interest in researching on half-boiled eggs (which I doubt he will because he's always with one. He even fell in love with one. \(^o^)/). What I meant was, enjoy this special night with the one you love, ok? Have fun! From, Chief Akiko' Argh, that girl... How does she still manage to get on my nerve from miles away? Come on, Philip, let's not waste this day away. Ja, ne, Ryu." Shoutarou pulled Philip up from the sofa against the teen's will, and disappeared out the door before you could say 'w'.

This left Ryu all alone, with his present. "What was that about...?" He puzzled over it for a while, then proceeded to open his present.

Akiko had given him a red christmas scarf with decorative 'A's embroidered on it. He began to wonder if she had made it herself; after all, she had done a pretty good job on the Philip doll. Coming with it was a card.

"'RYU-KUN!' Was the big font necessary, Akiko?" Ryu frowned, then read on, "'How are you? My mum's fine- her sickness is healed, but I've decided to stay on with her.' Why? 'I've realized that I'm not at all needed back in Fuuto, so I'm staying here with my mum to take care of her'."

It was then that Terui Ryu, officer at Fuuto police station, panicked. The prospect of not ever seeing the ever-cheerful girl, who would take any chance she got to hug him, or to lean against him, was just too horrifying.

He missed her. He needed her back.

Ryu grabbed the scarf and ran out.

How could he be so foolish to let her go? No, he was going to get her back. Even if he had to run to Osaka in this wintry weather.

Running blindly, Ryu neared the train station, when he suddenly crashed into a human.

"Ita... Ryu-kun! You came!"

Ryu got up to see the person that he'd bumped into was none other than Akiko. Looking around, he noticed that the area was completely void of people. Seeing it was christmas, he didn't think much of it.

He needed to settle something right before him.

Taking a few steps forward, accelerating, he approached Akiko, then stopped.

"Did you like the gi- oof!"

Ryu wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. Akiko, though surprised, hugged him back.

"Please come back?" he begged her, refusing to let go.

"Do you want me to?"

"... Yes, I want you to come back. Please come back. The office needs you; I need you here too."

Akiko was silent, so Ryu added, "I love you, so will you stay with me?"

Ryu then detached himself from Akiko, and leaned down, kissing her.

It was a sweet kiss, but he liked the taste.

Eventually, though, he pulled away from the girl to see her reaction. Akiko stood there, frozen, then a grin broke out on her face as she leapt into Ryu's arms, and sought his lips again.

From far away, Shoutarou and Philip were looking on the scene. When they saw those two make up, or rather, make out, the exchanged hi-fives. Mission accomplished.

* * *

"Demo, how did you know I was going to the station?" Ryu asked back at the agency later. "And why are you back in Fuuto when you said you were staying with your mother? Don't tell me, you've been in Fuuto all along..."

"Ah, I was back in Osaka once. My mother called me back to 'help me'. She said a little time away from you," she glared at him, "would help you come to your senses regarding how you felt about me. I can't believe it actually worked out."

Shoutarou came out of the garage. "You've got me to thank for it, ok?"

"Shoutarou? How does he come into this?"

"When Philip and I sent our christmas presents to her, I told her you were missing her a lot. Then in that card that came with the egg - Akiko I haven't gotten back at you for that - she told me everything, and instructed me to take Philip out for real in the post script, so I did. The rest, you figured."

"All this was for...me?"

"No, it was for Aki-chan, who was having a hard time dropping hints that never got through to your head," Philip stated, then went over to hug Akiko. "Aki-chan, welcome back!"

"I can't belive this... Hey! Get away from her! She's mine!" Ryu got up and shoo-ed Philip away. Then, seeming to catch himself, he cleared his throat, and sat back down.

Everyone broke out in laughter, which filled the agency once again.

* * *

_If you must know, scarf=cold=christmas. And I can not get over the 'Teriyaki' pun. I just had teriyaki ramen yesterday!_

_I can't believe I had to turn this into a slashfic... huff... And this is my first time writing one about RyuXAkiko as main characters, so I would appreciate the review! Arigatou~_


End file.
